Potager ended a six-race losing streak, all in graded stakes, with a shocking win in Sunday’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan.
Potager ($147) closed from fifth in a field of 16 to win by a neck over 9-1 Lei Papale, a 5-year-old mare who won the Osaka Hai in 2021. Efforia, the 2021 Japanese Horse of the Year, could manage only ninth as the 1-2 favorite in his first start of the year.
After a bronze and a silver, Golden Sixty climbed back atop the podium Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, dominating the Group 2, $606,000 Chairman’s Trophy.
Hong Kong’s best horse won for the 20th time in his career while slamming the door on his first two-race losing streak.
Golden Sixty might have had slim chance in the Hong Kong Gold Cup on Feb. 20. The 2,000-meter distance probably is farther than ideal, a yielding course definitely was less than ideal, and Golden Sixty had a tough draw in post 10. Circumstances aligned to produce a third-place finish.
Chimes was rested after she finished 10th of 14 in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old fillies at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia last August, her second loss in a span of two weeks.
Through the Australian spring and summer, Chimes was sidelined, returning a game second by about 1 3/4 lengths in a handicap at 5 3/4 furlongs on the infield Beaumont course at Newcastle. The comeback should serve as an ideal prep race for her second start of the year in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Hawkesbury Racecourse on Tuesday.
As recently as September, the Australian 7-year-old gelding Fast Talking was a game third in a six-figure handicap at a mile.
Monday at Doomben Racecourse in Brisbane, Fast Talking is well-placed to win his first race of 2022 in his second start of the season in a handicap at about a mile.
Trained by David Vandyke, Fast Talking was second by three-quarters of a length in a six-furlong handicap at Ipswich Racecourse on March 17, closing from sixth of eight.
Nature Strip, the 2020-21 Australian Horse of the Year, is being strongly considered for a trip to the Royal Ascot meeting in England in June after winning Saturday’s Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes for sprinters for the third consecutive year at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
Paul Lally:
R1 2-8-10-6
R2 4-6-10-1
R3 5-3-7-1
R4 3-1-9-4
R5 6-7-3-1
R6 2-8-10-3
R7 1-7-2-8
R8 3-8-2-6
R9 4-2-1-3
R10 7-2-4-1
Best Bet Race10 7 Super Fortune
Longshot Race9 4 More Than This
Play Race10 QQP 2-4-7
Mark McNamara:
R1 – 8.2.6.10
R2 – 4.5.7.6
R3 – 7.3.5.1
R4 – 4.3.9.1
R5 – 11.3.7.6
R6 – 8.3.5.2
R7 – 1.2.8.7
R8 – 8.3.6.2
R9 – 2.1.4.3
For two whole seasons and through his emphatic victory Dec. 12 in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile the talk always was about Golden Sixty’s winning streak.
Now, for the first time in his career, Golden Sixty comes into a race having suffered two straight defeats, but there’s every reason to believe Golden Sixty can get back into the win column Sunday at Sha Tin in the Group 2, $606,000 Chairman’s Trophy.
Efforia was the 2021 Horse of the Year and outstanding 3-year-old in Japan, and is expected to live up to those titles in his 2022 debut in Sunday’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles at Hanshin Racecourse.
Efforia is expected to be an odds-on favorite in his first start since a win in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen at 1 9/16 miles at Nakayama Racecourse on Dec. 26, his sixth victory in seven career starts. The only blemish on Efforia’s race record is a second by a nose in the Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse last May.
For the second consecutive year, the Gundagai Cup at Gundagai Racecourse in Australia arrives at a good time for the 7-year-old Maid of Ore.
Last April, Maid of Ore ended a 13-race losing streak with a one-length win in the Gundagai Cup at 1 1/8 miles. Sunday, Maid of Ore is part of a field of 10 in the Gundagai Cup where she has a chance to end a 14-race losing streak dating to last year’s race.
The Australian filly Forbidden Love has had a busy campaign this year, compiling three stakes wins since late February.
The brilliant form has made Forbidden Love the 3-1 favorite in early betting for Saturday’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile against 19 rivals at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
The $2.24 million Doncaster Mile is one of the most competitive handicaps of the year, and could easily meet expectations. As of Thursday, 4-1 I’m Thunderstruck was the only other horse in the field with a single-digit price.
